Rockets' perceived strength has quickly turned into a troubling weakness

Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Houston Rockets' depth was one of the most promising aspects of their squad. Their many stellar wings, ranging from defensive menaces to marksmen from deep (or players who were both), appeared to be the backbones of a squad that could make a deep playoff run.

The feasibility of these ambitions quickly collapsed, however, when starting point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL in the offseason. Considering the burden he shouldered in last year's playoffs and his cruciality as the Rockets' primary ball handler, this loss would clearly deal a devastating blow to the Rockets' contention hopes.

Even with VanVleet's loss, expectations that the Rockets would improve from last year prevailed. And understandably so. The Rockets had added an all-time great scorer in Kevin Durant, amongst others. Surely the frequency of their signature mid-game offensive spells would drastically decrease with this newly added shooting and scoring.

And yet, nearly halfway through the season, the Rockets' biggest flaws from the 2024-25 campaign remain. This time, however, the squad is a far less entertaining watch, riddled with poor late-game execution and losses to lottery squads such as the Kings and Pelicans. Last season, through 39 games, the Rockets were 27-12, which is better than their current 24-15.

The Rockets' depth has been exposed

When trying to pinpoint the source of the Rockets' current issues, several things come to mind. Kevin Durant, despite what many allege, is not the source. In his 19th season, he has averaged an impressive 26.3 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.4 on his 3-point attempts. His recent performance, where he had 39 points on 11-18 shooting, was the only reason the Rockets were even able to beat a Timberwolves team lacking Anthony Edwards.

The Rockets' disappointing depth, along with untimely injuries, is actually at the center of their problems. Having started the season relatively well, Jabari Smith Jr. has gone completely cold as of late. Even with KD's gravity culminating in several open shots, Jabari's 3-point shooting has been abysmal. In different games, he has shot 0-10, 0-3, 2-7, 1-7, and 1-7 from three. Some of these stats are so bad that they can't even be called "tour dates."

Due to the Rockets' abundance of young assets, Jabari hasn't been expected to fill the niche a typical third overall pick would. But without his shotmaking, Jabari has essentially become futile. Should this shooting spell continue, the Rockets should seriously consider moving off of him.

The Rockets' new role player acquisitions have also proven not to be enough. Josh Okogie, as was expected, hasn't done much offensively. With that being said, his grit and defensive skillset still make him a valuable addition to the squad. Dorian Finney-Smith, however, has been an overwhelming disappointment. He is currently averaging a poor 2.5 points per game on 25 percent shooting from the field and 25.9 percent on his threes. Overall, DFS has faltered in his role as a 3-and-D wing and is yet another example of the Rockets' flawed depth.

Reed Sheppard's performance so far has been far more difficult to characterize. He has definitely improved from last season, averaging 12.8 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent on his threes. But compared to players like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, who also gradually improved, there just seems to be less upside with Sheppard.

He is a gaping hole in the Rockets' defense, and serious teams (such as OKC) know how to exploit that. With his play fluctuating on a night-to-night basis, he hasn't quite put it all together yet.

The untimely injuries of players such as Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason have also played a part in the Rockets' struggles as of late. Ime Udoka's starting lineup featuring Eason seemed to be a step in the right direction (even as Sengun was out), but it quickly ceased when he sustained an ankle injury.

Tari is undoubtedly one of the brighter spots of the Rockets' roster, bringing stellar shooting, rebounding, and most of all, incredible defense. But his health has started to become concerning, as it feels these injuries are becoming more and more frequent.

The harsh reality of the Rockets' current state

For some time, especially at the beginning of the season, many Rockets fans, including myself, were optimistic that we were a healthy Fred VanVleet away from being a true contender. As time has passed, it has become clear that the squad still has a ways to go.

Some aspects of the season, such as Amen Thompson's great start to 2026 and Kevin Durant still being an All-NBA caliber player, offer promise, but the front office still has significant work to do this offseason. As for this trade deadline, I think they should hold off and see how things play out.

It would be better to gauge just how close we are to contention before doing anything serious.